Tag Archives: dangerous childrens furniture

On January 30, a recall was issued for 300 Natart Chelsea Three-Drawer Children’s Dressers Model 3033, by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in cooperation with the manufacturer, Gemme Juvenile, Inc., of Princeville, Quebec, Canada. The recall affects only 300 children’s dressers and is due to a safety hazard. The hazard: The dresser can tip over and entrap a child.

There are so many questions–and while any conscientious manufacturer would suffer from such an experience, I ask once again, why don’t manufacturers know within a reasonable range what can happen before releasing their products to the children’s furniture marketplace? Are children’s furniture products no longer being tested for safety before being imported to the U.S.? This particular dresser, according to the CPSC notice of recall, was manufactured before the May 2009 voluntary industry standard was issued. So, one might ask why didn’t the manufacturer recall the dressers when the voluntary industry standard changed?

This is a terrible reminder to parents of young children: Accidents with young children can happen very fast and toddlers should never be left alone. Young children need supervision.

The recalled children’s dressers were sold at Furniture Kidz and juvenile specialty stores and on line by Baby.com from January 2005 to December 2010 for from $600 to $900. If you have one of these, immediately stop using the dresser and remove it from your children’s access. Retrofit kits with wall anchor straps to keep the dresser from tipping are now being offered by the manufacturer for free, and consumers can contact the company by calling toll-free 1-855-364-2619 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

The CPSC would like everyone to know: “Every two weeks a child dies when a piece of furniture or a television falls on them.” All TVs and furniture should be anchored to prevent tipping.